Back Issue Keys –The Incredible Hulk 364

Today's Key issue I picked up from an LCS (Local Comic Store) 30 minutes from where I live. I'd never been there before and had very little time as the family was waiting for me in the car. There were a lot of slabs and some decent back issues. It seemed to be functioning the way a comic shop should; the owner/operator who is friendly and looking to make a sale without pressure and some local comic heads who might just be there to say hi, and feel part of the community. I didn't have the cash to drop on a slab so I told him I was looking for some good back issue keys. Under time pressure and a text from my wife I quickly sifted the bins and pulled out a 1989 copy of The Incredible Hulk 364. I didn't check the interior pages because I never assume they are white, it's nearly impossible on the classic newsprint style paper. The book did have a near-perfect spine, no rollover, and nice staple alignment. The edges and corners were also excellent. I'm not an expert, but I'd say a least a 9.4 if I had it graded. It needed a bag and board change when I got home and I snapped the photos you see in this article. The pages were solid, not brilliant, but I'd call them off white which added to my satisfaction. Issue 364 had Peter David writing (one of the best Hulk writers of all time), Jeff Purves drawing, and a cover by Walter Simonson.

The 1st appearance of Madman is what marks this one as a Key. I also picked up a very nice copy of Tales of G.I. Joe from the shelf with a $15 Canadian dollar price tag on my way to pay. The owner looked over my items and said, "Let's call it $15 even," I gave a smile – old school collectors nod. He wants my business and I'm looking forward to returning. As of this writing, a raw copy of Incredible Hulk 364 is going for between $8 and $15, with a slabbed CGC 9.4 coming in at $57 Canadian. It was a fun last-minute hunt. Picking up good quality Keys is a personal favorite of mine and getting one for zero dollars is like a double scoop of ice cream when you paid for one.

Leave a comment below, let me know what you think about this find.

Stay focused fellow humans!

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